Chris Turner

October 11, 2004

 

Procedural Mini-Lesson:

How to Write a Journal

 

Overview:

In this lesson, students are asked to write a journal entry from a character from one of their favorite stories.� The students will see how to write a journal and how to write a story from a completely different person�s perspective.� (26-30 minutes)

 

National Standards:

  1. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning and enjoyment)
  2. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.

 

State Standards:

    • 1.04 � Reflect on learning experiences by evaluating personal circumstances and background that shape interaction with the text.
    • 1.01 � Explore expressive materials that are read, heard and viewed by generating a learning log or journal.
    • 5.01 � Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive reading program by analyzing the effects elements such as plot, theme, characterization, style, mood, and tone.

 

Materials Needed:

 

Procedure/Assignment:

����������� (4-6 minutes) �Many of you have one; many of you have written in one; everyone has heard of one; so tell me, what is a journal?� What is the purpose of the journal?�� Wait for response.� �To give you an example of what a journal is, in case you have never written one, here are a couple I have written recently.�� Incorporate the students into the journal by writing about something that happened in class.� �Journals are used to express feelings.�� Show an example from your journal on the overhead.� �They have different purposes � sometimes to express personal feelings that no one else to read, sometimes written with the intention to show someone else.�

(2 minutes) �What are some of your favorite books you have ever read?� And from that, name your favorite characters from those books.� You can even tell about a character you liked from a book you didn�t like.�� Write some of these on the board to give the class help in picking someone who they would like to write about.

(10 minutes) �Now let�s practice writing journals from someone else�s point of view.� Go inside the heads of your character.� Imagine how that character feels at a certain point in the book or at the end of the story.�� (Give example:� �How did Ender feel when he realized he destroyed the entire Bugger race?�)� You may want to turn the lights down and have a time of quiet so the students can really focus and get into the heads of their character.� �Now I want everyone to write a journal entry from the point of view of your character.� I�ll give you about 7 minutes.� If you need longer, that�s ok.� Write whatever comes to mind.� Don�t proofread; just write.�

(5-7 minutes) �Is everyone about done?� What do we have?�� Now you can give some students the opportunity to share either with a partner or with the rest of the class.� Ask questions like:� �Who did you pick?� From what story?� Why did you pick this person?� What did you write?�

 

Conclusion:

����������� (5 minutes) �Journals are a very good way to do character analysis.� How better analyze a character than to write a journal from their point of view?� What was the purpose of journals?�� Wait for answer.� �I want to encourage all of you to begin or continue writing in a journal outside of class.� It can be a great way to share something about yourself and keep it completely private.� It is also really neat to look back three months or two years later and see how you have changed or matured; or what concerned you enough to write about.� I hope you all start journaling at least once a month.�